Zines chapter 6 comments

When thinking about the history of advertising in relation to the counter culture movements across the 20^th c one major similarity in strategy stands out- the advertiser’s way of honing in on what the phlolosophies of that counter culture are, their ability to use these beliefs that are held fast by revolutionaries in their own right and making a profit.  Convincing  young women that smoking cigarettes are a symbol of power and that every woman should smoke them if they want to be equal to men, selling irrelevant items with hippie slogans of peace and love and harmony, claiming a pair of mass produced shoes are alternative and will help YOU express your individuality more freely- all of these tactics take the very core of the underground and attach it to items that are meaningless to create meaning. I have an example of advertising’s manner of cracking a hipster's shell of today, or, better yet not just a hipster, but my whole generation- brought to you by my ex advertising school boyfriend and supplemented by the encyclopedia for the people by the people.  Pabst Blue Ribbon has certainly become the drink of choice for youths my age, but how is Pabst keeping up as the coolest beer around?  What kind of people is it catering to, and how will they embrace Pabst without feeling betrayed?  Well, here’s how- It doesn’t advertise at all on a large scale, but rather “through the surreptitious sponsorship of indie music concerts, local businesses, dive bars, and radio programming such as NPR’s all things considered”.  (Wikipedia)